1
as in curious
interested in what is not one's own business
as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulling
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in yanking
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in questioning
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prying
Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Other prying eyes won’t have access to the documents, either.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
But such players tend to make these adjustments in the course of many weeks, on private practice courts in Delray or Monaco or Abu Dhabi, far from TV cameras and prying journalists.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
Recruiting and prying away a successor added another $9 million in sign-on incentives.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
For the first time, regulators are prying open the monopolies that have defined the digital age.
—Christian Kroll, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, the paparazzi still supplied tabloids with prying eyes into the star’s personal life, so Lohan left London for good around the end of 2016.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025
These evergreen or deciduous shrubs protect your garden oasis from prying eyes and create a sense of solitude.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Pledger packed his belongings into a friend’s car, ignoring the prying eyes of other students.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
While some privacy advocates fight against companies that mine databases and shopping receipts to construct detailed customer profiles, Diffie is more concerned about political abuse and prying government eyes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2016
Adjective
The film stages its riot of activity as hard-nosed honesty, but its portrait is ultimately as ginned-up and inexact as the fictional news broadcast’s lurid prying.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Other prying eyes won’t have access to the documents, either.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Noun
This is about creating a childhood away from prying eyes, giving his children the space and support to enjoy being children without a care in the world.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
But such players tend to make these adjustments in the course of many weeks, on private practice courts in Delray or Monaco or Abu Dhabi, far from TV cameras and prying journalists.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
Recruiting and prying away a successor added another $9 million in sign-on incentives.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
For the first time, regulators are prying open the monopolies that have defined the digital age.
—Christian Kroll, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, the paparazzi still supplied tabloids with prying eyes into the star’s personal life, so Lohan left London for good around the end of 2016.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025
These evergreen or deciduous shrubs protect your garden oasis from prying eyes and create a sense of solitude.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Pledger packed his belongings into a friend’s car, ignoring the prying eyes of other students.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
While some privacy advocates fight against companies that mine databases and shopping receipts to construct detailed customer profiles, Diffie is more concerned about political abuse and prying government eyes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prying
Adjective
-
Even a humble vape pen could serve a website until too many curious visitors try to connect.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Occasionally a curious polar bear meandered near camp, which was always changing as the ice floe buckled and drifted across the Arctic Ocean.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
It's been a busy week for the European technology sector.—
Ryan Browne,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The seven people killed by the explosions are believed to have been working for Devastating Pyrotechnics in the busy days ahead of a string of shows scheduled on and around the Fourth of July.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Earlier that day, speaking with Hugo in the crew mess, Jess acknowledged that her reaction to Solène’s questioning of Kerry about the Solène embargo was outsize.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Asking Better Questions Is An Innovation Mindset The first key to using questions to innovate is developing a questioning mindset.—
David Henkin,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The world’s first inkjet printer Rune Elmqvist was an inquisitive person.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The short clip shows the pup, named Millie, inquisitive about a large ant on the carpet before deliberately stomping on it, and then performing the most unexpected of follow-up actions—eating it.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Winner's story has been told in a 2021 documentary Reality Winner, the 2023 film Reality, and in the play Is This A Room, in which actors reenacted the transcript of the FBI interrogation of her.—
Terry Gross,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
-
One person was released and charged with obstruction by university police, and a second person was released after interrogation by law enforcement, according to the statement.—
Lauren De Young,
AZCentral.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Symptoms include high anxiety, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, frequent intrusive memories of trauma, nightmares and flashbacks.—
Arash Javanbakht,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Cast looks back on 'intrusive' paparazzi, overnight success What has Prince Harry said about King Charles III?—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, analytical software has revolutionized linguistic inquiry, enabling greater understanding of the ways language works—when, how, and why words break out; the specific contexts for expressions and idioms.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into several social media and artificial intelligence companies about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions.—
Barbara Ortutay,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Turns out a nosy news crew is filming, and he’s just learned the school’s patron has sold the property.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Then, throw it deep into the garbage so that no industrious or nosey pets can get to it.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prying. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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